{ "seo": { "title": "Mediating Communication B2–C1: CEFR Descriptors", "description": "All official CEFR 2020 descriptors for mediating communication, at B2, B2+ and C1, side by side, scale by scale.", "keywords": "mediating communication CEFR, CEFR B2 descriptors, CEFR C1 descriptors, companion volume 2020, mediating communication CEFR, official descriptors" }, "breadcrumb": { "home": "Home", "page": "Descriptors — Mediating Communication B2–C1" }, "hero": { "title": "Mediating Communication: the Official CEFR Descriptors from B2 to C1" }, "intro": { "paragraphs": [ "Mediating communication is one of the three mediation families described in the CEFR Companion Volume (2020): facilitating understanding and exchange between interlocutors who, for linguistic, cultural, social or emotional reasons, cannot understand each other directly. It is as much a relational skill as a linguistic one: defusing a misunderstanding, managing tension, creating a climate conducive to exchange.", "At B2, you handle delicate communication situations by rephrasing and adapting what you say to the interlocutors. C1 adds anticipating misunderstandings before they arise, managing sharper tensions, and a fine sensitivity to cultural and status differences between the parties. This page reproduces every official descriptor for this activity at B2, B2+ and C1, scale by scale." ] }, "scalesIntro": { "title": "The official descriptors, scale by scale", "p1": "3 Companion Volume scales cover mediating communication between B2 and C1. For each one, the B2 and C1 descriptors are shown side by side; where the CEFR publishes B2+ descriptors, they appear in the amber transition band." }, "labels": { "low": "B2 — independent user", "mid": "B2+ — transition zone", "high": "C1 — proficient user", "noDescriptor": "No distinct descriptor at this level for this scale." }, "expert": { "title": "The Examiner's Perspective", "bylineName": "Réda Haiat", "bylineRole": "CEFR Assessment Expert · 22 Years of Experience", "paragraphs": [ "A B2 mediator anticipates misunderstandings and facilitates the exchange. A C1 mediator steps into situations where the parties don't necessarily want to understand each other — real tension, incompatible positions, stakes that go beyond language. This is no longer about smoothing out a difficult exchange, but about making a blocked exchange possible at all.", "The difference lies in what the mediator dares to do. At B2, they rephrase, spell out, propose. At C1, they name the disagreement itself, distinguish what's a misunderstanding from what's a genuine conflict of interest, and know when rephrasing won't be enough. The C1 descriptors talk about delicacy, diplomacy, handling sensitive situations — skills that call for judgment about the situation, not just the words.", "B2+ is particularly well populated here (7 descriptors out of 21), which fits a long transition: the mediator becomes effective on ordinary tensions well before they're effective on genuinely delicate situations. What B2+ is missing isn't so much technique as touch — knowing when not intervening is worth more than intervening." ], "signalsTitle": "What I listen for at the boundary", "signals": [ "Does the mediator dare to name the disagreement, or stick to rephrasing?", "Do they distinguish a misunderstanding from a genuine conflict of interest?", "Do they know when not to intervene, or do they always step in?", "Does their diplomacy hold up as the stakes rise, or only in calm situations?", "Do they handle implicit cultural context in sensitive situations?" ] }, "attribution": { "workName": "CEFR Companion Volume (2020)", "p1": "Descriptors © Council of Europe — from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Companion Volume (2020), reproduced verbatim under the ", "ccLabel": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (CC BY 4.0)", "ccUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "p2": ". ", "sourceLabel": "View the original publication", "sourceUrl": "https://rm.coe.int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-descriptors-2018/1680787989", "p3": ". Commentary and analysis © CEFRhub." }, "faq": { "title": "Frequently asked questions", "items": [ { "q": "What is mediating communication in the CEFR?", "a": "It is one of the three mediation families in the 2020 Companion Volume: facilitating understanding and exchange between interlocutors who cannot understand each other directly, for linguistic, cultural or relational reasons — defusing a misunderstanding, managing tension, creating a climate conducive to exchange. It is described by descriptor scales distinct from production and reception." }, { "question": "How many official descriptors cover mediating communication between B2 and C1?", "answer": "21 official descriptors cover this zone: 8 at B2, 7 at B2+ and 6 at C1, spread across 3 scales. All of them are reproduced on this page." }, { "question": "What does the B2+ level mean?", "answer": "B2+ is a CEFR \"plus level\": it describes a strong B2 competence, beyond the B2 threshold but not yet meeting the C1 criteria. The Companion Volume publishes specific descriptors for these intermediate bands — that is the transition zone shown between the B2 and C1 columns." }, { "question": "Can I reuse these descriptors?", "answer": "Yes. The CEFR descriptors are published by the Council of Europe under the CC BY 4.0 licence: you may reproduce and adapt them, including commercially, provided you credit the Council of Europe. That is exactly what this page does." } ] }, "related": { "title": "Going further", "items": [ { "label": "B2 vs C1: the overall differences (article)", "to": "/en/blog/cefr-b2-vs-c1-differences" }, { "label": "Our CEFR assessment methodology", "to": "/en/methodology" }, { "label": "All our equivalency charts", "to": "/en/equivalences" }, { "label": "Assess your level in writing or speaking", "to": "/en/signup" }, { "label": "Cette page en français", "to": "/fr/descripteurs-cecr-mediation-communication-b2-c1" } ] }, "sources": { "title": "Sources", "items": [ { "label": "Council of Europe — CEFR Companion Volume (2020):", "url": "https://rm.coe.int/cefr-companion-volume-with-new-descriptors-2018/1680787989" }, { "label": "The CEFR on the Council of Europe website:", "url": "https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages" }, { "label": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence:", "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" } ] }, "scales": [ { "scale": "Facilitating communication in delicate situations and disagreements", "low": [ { "text": "Can, by asking questions, identify areas of common ground and invite each side to highlight possible solutions.", "originalId": 1022 }, { "text": "Can outline the main points in a disagreement with reasonable precision and explain the positions of the parties involved.", "originalId": 1023 }, { "text": "Can summarise the statements made by the two sides, highlighting areas of agreement and obstacles to agreement.", "originalId": 1024 } ], "mid": [ { "text": "Can elicit possible solutions from parties in disagreement in order to help them to reach consensus, formulating open-ended, neutral questions to minimise embarrassment or offence.", "originalId": 1019 }, { "text": "Can help the parties in a disagreement better understand each other by restating and reframing their positions more clearly and by prioritising needs and goals.", "originalId": 1020 }, { "text": "Can formulate a clear and accurate summary of what has been agreed and what is expected from each of the parties.", "originalId": 1021 } ], "high": [ { "text": "Can demonstrate sensitivity to different viewpoints, using repetition and paraphrase to demonstrate a detailed understanding of each party’s requirements for an agreement.", "originalId": 1016 }, { "text": "Can formulate a diplomatic request to each side in a disagreement to determine what is central to their position, and what they may be willing to give up under certain circumstances.", "originalId": 1017 }, { "text": "Can use persuasive language to suggest that parties in disagreement shift towards a new position.", "originalId": 1018 } ] }, { "scale": "Facilitating pluricultural space", "low": [ { "text": "Can encourage a shared communication culture by expressing understanding and appreciation of different ideas, feelings and viewpoints, and inviting participants to contribute and react to each other’s ideas.", "originalId": 993 }, { "text": "Can work collaboratively with people who have different cultural orientations, discussing similarities and differences in views and perspectives.", "originalId": 994 }, { "text": "Can, when collaborating with people from other cultures, adapt the way they work in order to create shared procedures.", "originalId": 995 } ], "mid": [ { "text": "Can exploit knowledge of sociocultural conventions in order to establish a consensus on how to proceed in a particular situation that is unfamiliar to everyone involved.", "originalId": 990 }, { "text": "Can, in intercultural encounters, demonstrate appreciation of perspectives other than that of their own worldview, and express themselves in a way appropriate to the context.", "originalId": 991 }, { "text": "Can clarify misunderstandings and misinterpretations during intercultural encounters, suggesting how things were actually meant in order to clear the air and move the discussion forward.", "originalId": 992 } ], "high": [ { "text": "Can act as a mediator in intercultural encounters, contributing to a shared communication culture by managing ambiguity, offering advice and support, and heading off misunderstandings.", "originalId": 988 }, { "text": "Can anticipate how people might misunderstand what has been said or written and can help maintain positive interaction by commenting on and interpreting different cultural perspectives on the issue concerned.", "originalId": 989 } ] }, { "scale": "Acting as an intermediary in informal situations (with friends and colleagues)", "low": [ { "text": "Can communicate (in Language B) the sense of what is said in a welcome address, anecdote or presentation in their field (given in Language A), interpreting cultural cues appropriately and giving additional explanations when necessary, provided the presenter stops frequently in order to allow time for them to do so.", "originalId": 1006 }, { "text": "Can communicate (in Language B) the sense of what is said (in Language A) on subjects within their fields of interest, conveying and when necessary explaining the significance of important statements and viewpoints, provided the interlocutors give clarifications if needed.", "originalId": 1007 } ], "mid": [ { "text": "Can mediate (between Language A and Language B) conveying detailed information, drawing the attention of both sides to background information and sociocultural cues, and posing clarification and follow-up questions or statements as necessary.", "originalId": 1005 } ], "high": [ { "text": "Can communicate fluently (in Language B) the sense of what is said (in Language A) on a wide range of subjects of personal, academic and professional interest, conveying significant information clearly and concisely as well as explaining cultural references.", "originalId": 1004 } ] } ] }